Redemption
by miss lizz
Summary: New ch. 3!! X's people come for him to answer for crimes and Elle gets dragged along.
1. Default Chapter

Redemption  
  
Author: Miss Lizz ^_^  
  
Rating: R for bloodshed, battle, and steamy romance  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words and any never before seen characters.  
  
  
  
Chapter 1: Beginnings and Nocturnes  
  
This was getting ridiculous. Why did all major reports have to be done in triplicate? And put into the computer files in the same forms? It was a complete waste of space, time, and all the paper was bad for the environment. These arguments always fell on deaf ears though; the counter- argument being that only one of the triplicates was even kept on hard copy and every other copy was kept in case everything else was somehow destroyed. It was still a waste of time. And boring without a doubt.  
  
X leaned back in his chair and tried to stretch out his stiff fingers, he was finished, after seven straight hours of typing he was finished! By the goddess his fingers hurt. He might have whooped for joy had he not been so tired. Out of the corner of his eye, Elle drew back her arm to launch a paper ball at him, she was surprised when he nonchalantly caught it and quickly rerouted it to a trashcan. He looked at her and gave his trademark smirk.  
  
"I take it you're ready to leave?"  
  
"You could say that," she grabbed her coat on their way to the garage, "I've been waiting on you to finish for an hour."  
  
"Can I help it if I prefer to do a good job?"  
  
Their usual badinage continued throughout the uneventful ride to the living complexes just on the outskirts of the property. Both of them lived in the second, smaller building and they were the only ones on their floor so far. They were even next-door neighbors, which was often an invitation to bickering and pranks. Tonight was quiet save for the teasing that was often mistaken for flirting by anyone not paying closer attention, or anyone who knew them. They were nearly silent in the elevator, for some reason, no one ever seems to talk in those. They were also quieter walking down the hallway.  
  
A crash suddenly rang out from Elle's room, sending the blonde agent fumbling for her keys, hoping that Orion had not hurt himself. X, however, drew his carbonizer; he had heard something directly after the crash that he'd recognized as a dialect of his home planet, his home clan. This did not bode well.  
  
"X, what are you doing? I'm not gonna let you shoot my cat!"  
  
He ignored her and remained silent, pushing her aside and easing the door open the rest of the way. "Who is here?" he called out in his native language, its deep, lilting resonance filling the small room.  
  
"You know who we are, pup, and you know why," a gruff voice answered in like and two big, older-than-him, scarred warriors stepped out of the shadows, "Get that thing off your head."  
  
X snarled but pulled his mask off. He did know what they were here but not why they were in Elle's quarters, though it was entirely possible they had broke into the wrong room.  
  
Speaking of Elle, "I'm assuming you know these guys. Where's my cat?" came said blonde's annoyed voice from behind, he turned to look at her and she must have seen the emotions in his eyes for she became concerned, "What's going on, X?"  
  
Before he could give her any answer, the younger of the two warriors spoke for the first time, "How is that… human on such a close relationship with you?"  
  
The MiB Jee'Dangian stole a glance to the human and could tell she didn't like not knowing what was being said. He reverted back to his native language rustily; it had been over a year since he last spoke it, "We are close because she is my," he searched his mind for the right word, "… gemaecca."  
  
From the way the younger one's eyes widened and the elder's eyebrow arched upward, X knew he said the wrong thing. What was the exact meaning of gemaecca? Partner, yes, but what else?  
  
"Your gemaecca? A human?" the elder said amazingly, "Then you know she comes with us to share your fate. Don your armour, pup, and be ready to board ship."  
  
X sputtered in shock, Elle was going?! What had he done??  
  
"Don't dawdle, boy," the younger of the warriors barked and proceeded to push X out the door.  
  
As he stumbled past a startled Elle he managed to mutter: "Be ready for a long trip."  
  
  
  
X was unable to convince his clansmen to leave his blonde partner, so she went rather disbelievingly and unwillingly. She also had a hard time believing what her partner was wearing when he and the old warrior joined her and the even older warrior that stayed with her, aboard a shuttle that headquarters had apparently not detected. It was on the roof of the building for crying out loud! As for X, she had no idea his bulky human and regulation suits had hidden such assets; his body, she could see nearly all of it, was lean but heavily rippled with muscles like steel under green flesh. He moved with the inherent, deadly grace that was his alone. His physique, to say the least, was perfect. Good gracious, he looked good.  
  
"Nice outfit, or lack thereof," that earned her a scowl, from all the Jee'Dangians.  
  
The 'outfit' consisted of pitted shoulder armour, both jointed for ease of motion, a partial breast-plate over the left side of his chest was composed of three movable metal plates that extended from his clavicle to the bottom of his ribcage. His right had what looked like toughened leather in a harness type configuration; the entire breastplate was connected by an ornamental clasp. His entire well-built torso was swathed in metal rings linked by tiny strips of leather, like chain mail. It led down to a leather and metal codpiece with a black hide loincloth draped over it; more armour covered the outside of his thighs, his shins and forearms. In all, he looked every bit the fearsome warrior.  
  
No matter how fascinating her partner's armour was, she was nervous, actually she was scared out of her mind but did not want him or the two gruff males to know that; she had never been out of Earth's atmosphere. In truth, she had never really left the United States that often. She wanted to cry when she watched the little blue planet recede and a huge, before now cloaked ship come into view, the only reason she did not was X's almost comforting presence. It was her fear and nervousness that made her voice so much softer and breathier when she tried for some lightening of the situation in her earlier words.  
  
  
  
"Where are they taking us?" Elle paced the length of the small bedchamber she and X had been locked in. X sat dispiritedly on the richly covered bed and watched her.  
  
"Back to the Jee'Dang galaxy, to my home-world also called Jee'Dang. I'm so sorry, Elle."  
  
She froze and stared at him, wide-eyed, "That I don't like the sound of. Why are you sorry?"  
  
"You have to share whatever fate befalls me. Everyone thinks you're my mate," he added the last bit in a small voice.  
  
"Oh, God," Elle sank onto the bed next to him, "Why do they think that, and why are they taking us to Jee'Dang?"  
  
X sighed and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, he'd removed he upper portion of his armour, "I told them," at her shocked expression he began talking quickly, "It's been a year since I last spoke my own language, I used the first word I thought of that meant 'partner.' 'Gemaecca' does mean partner, a soul-partner, a mate. I don't think I'll be able to convince the elders otherwise now. If it's any consolation, I don't think I'll get killed so you should be released unharmed," he was quiet, he couldn't tell her what exactly he was to go up against. For her, he could not risk losing. Even if they never got along, he wouldn't see her die because of his past idiocy. But, then she may enjoy seeing him beaten.  
  
"Killed?!" her voice was rising in shock, "You could die? X, what are they going to do to you?"  
  
"They're not really going to do anything as a whole," how much should I tell her? Why not everything; this is her future too, now, no thanks to me, "I have to fight whoever the elders choose and however many of them there are. Sorta like that human film… um… 'Gladiola.'"  
  
"Gladiator," Elle offered quietly.  
  
"Thank you. If I manage to live and, more importantly, win, we'll be returned and I'll regain everything that was taken before. All of this will happen once we reach Jee'Dang, which should take two maybe two and a half weeks," he smiled sadly, "I'd say to relax but I know you probably won't… . I'm sorry."  
  
A silence stretched between them for what felt like hours. In actuality it lasted only minutes before being broken by another question from the small female. "What happened to cause all this?"  
  
She could feel him tense and stiffen even though they touched nowhere, he spoke softly as he had since they had been locked in these chambers, but his voice now was tight, "I killed my partner and an innocent. This happened… nearly three Earth years ago. I woke up covered in their blood with a dagger in my hand. The only reason the authorities didn't throw me in a cell for the rest of my life was the fact that I had been drugged and it was assumed I had no control whatsoever over my actions, the elders of my clan didn't see it that way. A warrior is always responsible for his or her actions and must face that action and any consequences that arise," he had never thought to tell her any of this. His throat constricted painfully, "I was publicly dishonoured, disowned, and flogged. It was nothing I didn't deserve. When I thought they were through, the elders' ordered me banished from Jee'Dang. Never to return until they saw fit," a bitter smile crossed his face, "Apparently they see fit."  
  
Elle only stared at him, there was nothing she could say that wouldn't sound pitying. There must have been a set up, the X she knew was belligerent, yes, but he would never kill someone. Why did no one look into the details? A scene like the one he awoke to could have easily been made to appear that way. No one saw that, not even X. And his own clan, who she assumed was his family, disowned and beat him. She had no idea what he had been through. Maybe this was why he acted like he did sometimes.  
  
How can she make him see this? What can she do?  
  
Still silent, she put her arms around him awkwardly, expecting him to pull away at the very least. This was the best comfort she could think to offer for now. He did not pull away but looked at her in quiet puzzlement. The blonde leaned into him and closed her eyes, she needed this contact as much as he must. She would never admit it to him but she was frightened more than she ever had been and it felt good to hold someone. When his arms tentatively embraced her, she realized it felt good to be held too. It felt wonderful, actually, to have someone cradle her. Listening to his slow, thundering heartbeat, all at once she realized she did not want to see him so much as harmed let alone killed. Their embrace felt very intimate to her, in this little room on a bed they were expected to share. She shouldn't be feeling like this, he was after all her partner, but she did and she liked this feeling of warm safety when in his arms. She felt and heard him sigh and knew they had to part.  
  
They pushed reluctantly apart at the same time, self-conscious, embarrassed, and remorseful. It was too much, too fast, too soon. Her heart had picked up its tempo and beat swiftly in her chest during and after their contact. Why was this happening? She couldn't be feeling this for her partner, it was impossible. What am I feeling?  
  
X cleared his throat, "Sorry," he mumbled and got off the bed to pace the length of the room like a caged panther.  
  
"Please, stop saying that. You've apologized more than enough already when you don't have to," she watched him continue to pace and something struck her, "I never knew you had a tattoo," she spoke before she thought and felt like an idiot after she had said it. Of course she never knew it, she had never seen him in so little before. With nothing at all covering him from the waist up, the black, intricate design was clearly displayed. It was like a cross between Celtic knots and tribal designs, twisting down his spine to disappear past his belt slung low on narrow hips and flaring like wings across the broad landscape of his shoulders. It was strange and haunting and beautiful and she had an urge to trace the lines with her fingertips.  
  
"Yes, I've had it quite a while," he turned to face her and guilt slammed into him full force once again and he realized she truly was entrancing; no matter how contradictory those two feelings were. He shook himself from the traitorous thought; she was his partner, no matter what he had blurted out to his clan. Why had gemaecca immediately come to mind? There were so many other words he could have used.  
  
No, there were more important things to think of than why he subconsciously chose a certain word. He must hone his blade and rekindle his skills; it would not be so difficult since he practiced daily and sparred with Kay on occasion. Still, no sense in slowing now. It also would not hurt if he changed into a pair of pants; Elle seemed slightly discomfited talking to him when he wore his armour. She hid it well but there was no imagining here, was there? Without his breastplate, called an aerma, and the m'ca, the meshed chain mail, he was nearly naked and he knew humans were touchy about such things.  
  
He felt like kicking himself, it did not matter what happened to him but if Elle were injured he would never forgive himself. He had dragged the little human into this. Though if the truth be known, he thought she could do fine on her own, she was a tough customer. She might die of shock if she knew he thought that. And he could never tell her because of everything that had passed between them so far. He wanted to but he couldn't. He had a lot more respect for her than he could let on.  
  
Now he only had to keep her alive for however long this mess could last.  
  
"What's wrong?" he noticed she was suddenly looking more worried than she had.  
  
"I'm worried about Orion. If no one notices us missing soon, he could starve! My poor cat!"  
  
Her cat! They could die at any time and she was worried over her cat! X began laughing, he couldn't help it, at the moment he found the fact funny. Elle did not understand or even appreciate his sudden mirth. She scowled and whacked him in the arm.  
  
For the first few days things passed dreadfully slow as all either of them could do was pace, talk, and Elle watched X practice with swords, daggers, axes, and countless other weapons. He was frighteningly good. That catlike grace turned into a deadly dance in which she couldn't help but watch in awe. How had he managed to hide these skills?  
  
Then she remembered an incident from earlier in the month when she walked into the gym to find him and Kay attacking each other. At the time she had not known they were merely sparring and for an instant thought they were actually trying to beat each other senseless. She had dismissed his skill then as a fluke. If only she had known…  
  
He was amazing.  
  
He wore pants now instead of the revealing armour though she was unsure as to why he had changed; it could not have had anything to do with him thinking she was uncomfortable around him. She was, kind of, but why should he care? But she had never minded watching a gorgeous male body or the play of iron muscles under smooth skin.  
  
Damn it, there I go again. You'd think I hadn't seen a man in years.  
  
Well, I haven't but that's no reason to act like a lovesick teenager.  
  
X didn't seem to be having any trouble completely ignoring her when he trained himself. She wished she were so able. The markings on his back never ceased to fascinate her and draw her eyes even when she shouldn't.  
  
He was having trouble concentrating during his exercises. Elle's staring was making him self-conscious but he was not annoyed by it. Not too much. He was having trouble keeping his eyes off her too. The Jee'Dangian outfit she was wearing had never looked better on a body. The dark crimson, sleeveless top with gold border and matching skirt that reached the floor with a slit that reached up to her hip was devastatingly beautiful on her. It set off highlights of palest gold in her hair.  
  
X shook his head. Why was he being bombarded by these thoughts? Such close contact was wreaking havoc with the defenses he'd spent so much time erecting.  
  
Their sleeping arrangements weren't much better on his peace of mind. They had mutually decided that since the bed was so huge they could safely share it without touching. It seemed like a good idea at the time but in practice it was lacking. Every morning it seemed he woke up with her in his arms. He actually didn't mind that part, which was driving him insane. She had no idea she was snuggling in his arms at night for he awoke earlier than his beautiful little partner. Or she didn't until one day, a week into their kidnapping, that she actually woke up before he did.  
  
When she gasped and pushed herself away, it roused him. He had no idea what was happening and expected the worse. There was no one else in the room so what was she doing? It was too early for this!  
  
"Elle?" He propped himself up on an elbow to look bafflingly at her.  
  
She looked like she was trying to wake up from a dream. "What are we doing?!" She finally croaked.  
  
X held in his laughter at her expression of shock; if he laughed she might kill him and make him sleep on the floor. Instead, he tried to pacify her.  
  
"You must have gotten cold in the night. It is slightly colder than what humans are used to, I suppose. We didn't do anything you have to worry about," maybe it would work. Not telling her about all the other nights would be best as well, he decided.  
  
She nodded accepting this because it was chillier than normal in the room. It had obviously startled her to wake up in the arms of the man she had threatened to kill on multiple occasions. X still found it funny.  
  
He lay back down and prepared to go back to sleep and was surprised to feel Elle do the same moments later. She never snored but he could hear her breathing even out and slow in slumber and she immediately moved back to him. Was she like this with everyone she slept with? That stilled him and caused a surprising jolt of something primitive in him at the mere thought of her lying with anyone else. What was happening to him? Between the two of them? This was making no sense.  
  
Another few days passed, Elle still curled against X in the night but she did not wake up any more. Though once X did to find they were lying in a spoon position but the blonde human was far from still. She was wriggling slightly as if searching for a more comfortable position. Wrapping his arms around her thin form stilled her and she fell into a deeper slumber. This was really driving him crazy, and he must be crazy because he wanted to continue holding her. He wanted to just lay here touching her. Incredibly, her movements had actually aroused him. She was a little temptress. Her body was smaller than any female from his homeworld but it was perfectly formed and soft and even her little ears and nose were starting to grow on him. And her eyes were a gorgeous colour blue, on his planet eye colour ranged from gold and amber to pale yellow.  
  
All he could do was try to put some space between them so that if she woke up she wouldn't outright kill him.  
  
He tried, he really did. But the day they entered Jee'Dang space his control shattered and he kissed her. He hadn't known he was going to, it just kind of happened. He half expected her to pull away; she didn't. If anything she leaned into it and brought him to the brink of madness just by that. Her sigh was what did it, if he had to place blame. It was soft and quiet and she molded so perfectly to his body that he could barely stop himself from doing something they would both later regret. He regretted not doing that something already, but that couldn't be right. He wanted it to continue and it wasn't right. It wasn't right. Not now.  
  
"By the goddess, we can't do this," he gently pushed away from her and stared down into her slightly passion-glazed eyes. "Whatever came over us has to be stopped. I won't hurt you like this."  
  
She wrapped her thin arms around his waist and sighed, "I know. I agree, we can't do this now. It just felt so… right… and good." She lay her head on his chest, her eyelashes tickled.  
  
He held her and made a sound of agreement. It had felt good—  
  
"We're in atmosphere. Be prepared to leave," the words were punctuated by loud pounding on the door. Their moment was broken, it was time to face reality.  
  
  
  
Jee'Dang, the fourth planet in the Diur solar system, was a beautiful place. Like a deep blue and faintly purple marble. Much of it was covered in lush forests that, she was to learn from X and eventually see for herself, could grow over a thousand feet tall and sprouted purplish foliage. It stayed dark as night in the deep interior of these thick forests all day long. The days on Jee'Dang were close to those of Earth. And like Earth, the majority of the planet was water, accounting for the enormous swatches of blue. They stood in their cell/chamber looking out the observation window while X pointed out a few landmarks.  
  
It was along the coast of the largest of the seas in the heavily wooded north that his clansmen took them. The trees gave way to smaller shrubs and craggy rocks and bluffs in the coastline they landed at. The place reminded her of some places along the northern coasts of Earth.  
  
"See that there?" the big Jee'Dangian pointed to a massive castellated stone building. "That's the family keep. I was raised there," he made a sound like a grunt, "Not that it matters any longer. When we leave the ship remember everything I told you earlier. For the most you'll be ignored or pitied so I woul—"  
  
"Why would I be pitied?"  
  
X looked at her with a sad smile, "For being my mate. I wouldn't worry too much; at worst you'll be locked in whatever room they'll stick us in. You probably wouldn't even be noticed except as a curiosity, not very many of my people have seen a human before. At least not in the flesh," he looked at the door that was suddenly opening and sighed, "Here we go."  
  
  
  
End Ch 1  
  
Next up: Jee'Dang. Tell me what you think of this, my literary jumble. I want at least a few reviews, no flames though, pretty please. Thank you all.  
  
Miss Lizz ^_^  
  
p.s. Sorry I didn't post this on the group, it was a bit too long. 


	2. there

Redemption Ch. 2

Author: Miss Lizz ^_^

Rating: R for language, blood, romance and other such stuff.

Disclaimer: I do not own the MiB characters of Elle and X; I only own any characters you've never seen before and quite possibly the Jee'Dangian language.

Ch. 2: New Surprises

            Leaving the great ship, he stayed right beside her, for which she was immeasurably grateful; she was frightened.  As they walked through gunmetal gray corridors guarded by several grim-faced Jee'Dangians, she was very frightened.  She didn't like being afraid.  It was so… unlike her.  It made her feel so helpless.

            In this place, on this world, she _was_ helpless.

            She hated it.  She hated being helpless.  She hated being afraid.  At least she wasn't alone.  X was here and had actually been here _for_ her throughout the weeks on ship.  In his own way, he was her anchor to sanity at the moment.  Oh, what a frightening thought that could be…

            When they were ushered out of the big ship, Elle had to squint in the sunlight-- the orange sunlight—that seemed so unbelievably bright after the relative dimness of the ship's interior.  She had to pause and put a hand up to cover her eyes for a moment.  It did not please their guards apparently.

            "Keep moving," came the gruff voice of one of the guards as he spoke in Jee'Dangian (she had no idea what he said) and lightly pushed her forward, sending her stumbling down the ramp way, "The elders are not to be kept waiting."

            X put his arms around her to keep her from falling and glared at the other male, "They waited years, a few more minutes won't make much of a difference," his voice became an ominous growl, "Don't touch her again."

            "Are you alright?" he switched to English for her.  

            She nodded, "Yeah, he just caught me off guard," she blinked up at him, "How is it you're not having any problems with the light changes?"

            He smiled slightly, "Jee'Dangian eyes adjust more quickly than a human's" the tall warrior-agent led her by the arm the rest of the way down the ramp, "Give yourself a few minutes."

            The courtyard they came upon was near empty save for a few animals.  It reminded her of the courtyards of medieval castles in romanticized stories and, like the rest of the place, struck her as very Arthurian in temperament.  However, there was no one about and it was probably early afternoon so there should be a bustling crowd here as the market progressed.  Where was everyone?  Even the vendors were absent from their stalls.  This was eerie.

            _I knew that was foreboding I felt._

            The courtyard was empty save for a few animals because his entire clan, and then some it seemed, was crammed into the great hall and even spilling out into the inner bailey.  The instant he and a wide-eyed Elle stepped through the large portcullis and the heavy wooden doors a hush fell over the gathered Jee'Dangians, all eyes focused on them and looks of shock, curiosity, disgust, anger, pity, and relief washed over the hundreds of faces old and young they passed on their long walk to the high place where the formal-robed elders waited.

            Elle shrank closer to him under the weight of so many open stares.  He should have given her more warning than he had that she would be so regarded as a pitiable oddity but that probably wouldn't have prepared her for this.  _He _wasn't even prepared for this.  An enormous crowd of onlookers never entered into his mind when he thought of how this could possibly go.  They meant to make a spectacle of him, did they?

            He nearly stopped moving when he spied his mother up the near the elders.  His mother had been one of the few who believed him innocent, it hadn't changed her status in the clan apparently.  She was still the daughter of a past headelder and principle wife to the greatest warrior the clans had ever seen, that her son was dishonoured and a murderer were not things that could overly affect her.  She stood straight and tall and defiant before the elder tribunal with a beaming expression on her face at the sight of her son.

            After nearly three years, she still looked the same.  For some reason, he was surprised; it felt like he'd been gone for far longer and he expected her to appear older.  She seemed well.

            Imperceptibly scanning the crowd, he saw there was no sign of his older brother, Ruhn.  Not a very surprising thing, his brother had never been over fond of him and had been among the first to publicly decry him.  Thank the goddess their father had not been alive to witness the debacle that cost X his honour.

            When the two agents reached the dais where the elders gazed disdainfully down at Elle and he, and the magistrate, or headelder, began to intone the whys of the crimes, sentencing, the reasons for bringing him back, etc., X wasn't really listening.  He knew all this.  But when possible plans against him coming to light were mentioned, he perked up.  Plans?  Why would someone make plans against him?  There was nothing of import anyone could gain from his disgrace.  His life just _had_ to keep getting stranger, didn't it?

            The elders finished the intonations, announced the date for the first tourney and the crowd immediately dispersed to go about their business as if nothing had interrupted them before; only a group of three were left in the great hall.  

            They were silent, the three of them, the two stoic Jee'Dangians and the one fearful human.  And then suddenly X's mother smiled and embraced her only son with an exclamation of joy.

            "Xan!  It's so good to see you again, son, I've missed you dreadfully," she stepped away from him and looked to Elle.  "And who is this little one?"

            X smirked slightly, Jee'Dangian females were often slightly taller than the males, and to his mother Elle was the size of a child.  He himself once thought of her as being much younger than she was because of her small size.

            "This is Elle, mother.  My… partner."

            "Ah," his mother smiled, "She's the one," and as oddly and unexpectedly as she make that cryptic remark, she switched to near perfect English, "Hello, dear, how are you?"

            The little human stared at his mother with enormous eyes, made some unintelligent noise, and did the one thing he never thought he'd ever see her do…

            She fainted.

            Zoii watched, perplexed, as the little one's wide blue eyes rolled up into her head and she dropped like a boneless sack to the stone floor.  The poor dear, it must be so overwhelming for her to be dragged off to a strange place, to a people she had no way of knowing, and be expected to fill a role she could have no way of knowing about.  That and dealing with Xan, who could be a rather difficult man to deal with, in probably cramped quarters for weeks was not much better.  No wonder she fainted, the poor thing.  

            "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to help her?" she asked her son when he continued to stare at the little human, "Pick her up, silly boy, and take her home."

            He bent to lift her but stopped and looked at Zoii, "Home?" he asked in confusion, "I'm not being held in a cell?"

            She sighed and stared up at the ceiling in silent plea for strength from the goddess, "Of course not, but you will be guarded.  Now come along before she catches a chill on this cold floor."

            What a silly boy he was sometimes.  The little one must have endless reserves of patience to deal with him… but how quickly she forgets they are gemaecca; patience comes second nature and love can overcome most anything.

            Following in his mother's wake through the winding corridors lit with the flickering flame of torches—their ancestral home had never been fully modernized—X cradled an unconscious Elle against his broad chest and worried.  Was she injured?  Humans could be physically fragile; he hoped she had not hurt herself when she hit the ground.  That was another thing, she had never fainted before to his knowledge; it rather frightened him for she had always been so strong before.  But after all the expectations and meeting his mother—who could be rather difficult and overwhelming—had been thrown at her, it didn't overly surprise him that she did pass out.  Worried him definitely, but it did not surprise him.  

            Could she ever forgive him for getting her involved in this?

            He hoped so.

            Could he forgive himself?

            No.

            His mother had never left the ancient stone house built like a fortress that was his home as a boy and it hadn't changed at all centuries.  Countless generations of his line had been born and had died here.  When he was a child, he thought the old spirits still remained to watch over the home and its inhabitants.  It made him feel safe to think the spirits protected them as bravely as his father did.  This was home. 

            As much as he almost hated to admit, it **still** felt like home.  He could almost believe in the inherent magic of this place again.  There were so many memories in this place.  There in the corner was the tapestry hiding a small cubbyhole he used to play in as a small child or hide in when his brother went looking for him.  And the lamp he almost always knocked over while running through the house.  Nothing seemed to change here.  Even the air tasted the same.

            He was home.

            But where was his mother leading him?  Bustling through the den with its enormous hearth, she made a beeline for the West stairs to the upper floors eventually leading him to his old chambers.  Were they to share the same bedchamber this time as well?  Once he saw to Elle, he would try to set his mother straight on how things really were between them.  The little human was too pale for his liking.  Was this normal for fainters?  Her skin was slightly clammy to the touch as well and he knew that wasn't a good thing.

            The covers of his old, red-draped, canopied bed were pulled aside by Zoii and he gently lay his partner down and pulled the coverlet up to her collarbone.  At least now she might warm up.  He stared down at her small body as guilt slammed into his gut like a balled fist.  And strangely enough, something very protective unfurled itself deep inside him.   After running a fingertip lightly along one slim, pale-gold brow, he turned to find his mother standing behind him watching the whole exchange with a knowing smile.

            "Can I expect grandchildren soon?"

            Now X thought **he** might faint, oh goddess, she wasn't going to start this, was she?  The big Jee'Dangian took his mother by the arm and led her out of the room so they wouldn't disturb his partner.

            "No.  Now what was all that about?" He began once out in the corridor.  "Where did all that come from?"

            "I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Xan."

            "Yes, you do.  What did you mean by 'she's the one?'  Why exactly did you decide to make us sleep together?  And when did you learn English?"  X crossed massive arms over a well-formed chest and scowled at his mother.

            Being the same height as her taller-than-normal son, Zoii was unimpressed by his display of male temperament and demands and merely smiled sweetly, turned her back to him, and walked off down the corridor.  He followed, still expecting answers.  She was not going to just walk away from this.  

            "I learned English during the three years you've been gone.  Since you couldn't come and visit your old mother, I was planning on going to Earth and needed to know the language of that area of the planet."

            With that she lapsed into silence.  Obviously, she was only planning on answering his last question.  Very well, he would take what he could get for now and figure the rest on his own.  Now came the hard part, now was the time he would have to tell his mother the truth about the true nature of he and Elle's relationship.

            "Mother, there's something I really must tell you and I'm not sure you'll like this…" He swallowed and prepared himself for the worst.  "Elle and I aren't gemaecca, we only work together and even then not well.  I told the guards that by mistake.  She—What's that smile for?"

            His mother was wearing the same knowing smile as before and had her hands on her hips.  Instead of answering, she turned and left again.  That was unusual.  She wasn't even upset with him, if anything she looked sure of something.  She was up to something, no doubt about it.

End Ch 2.

I'm sorry this took so long to put up.   How's it going so far?  Should I continue?

Please read and review.

Thank you,

Miss Lizz


	3. waking

Redemption

Author: Miss Lizz

Rating: R for language, themes, and such items as that.

Disclaimer: Same as last chapter

Chapter 3: Waking

At the very most, Elle had been unconscious for only fifteen or so minutes but to X who sat pensively by her side, it could very well have been hours. Should she not have recovered by now? The colouring had returned to her face at least but she still lay like death upon the bed. It was beginning to frighten him. Mayhap the healer should be summoned…? He had never seen a human faint before― this human especially― and had no inkling of what was normal. If his little human could fully be termed normal; from what he'd read about human females, she was from a different mold entirely…

Not that it really mattered, he kept saying to himself. Maybe if he said it enough, he'd actually start to believe it again.

Deep in his heart, protectiveness on a primitive, subconscious level unfurled its silken wings and took a first, teetering gasp so that when her ice-blue eyes fluttered open, he went to his knees beside the bed.

"Elle?"

She blinked several times before moving her slightly unfocused gaze to his face in absolute confusion. "Where am I?"

Was disorientation common in fainting spells? He reached to help her to a sitting position and received a strange, mystified look in return.

"You're in my… bed… chamber," X spoke haltingly, unsure of what her reaction would be at that bit of news.

"Why?" Her response was slow.

At least she was being calm about this. He didn't want to get into a fight with her now, no matter how much fun those arguments could be, this was neither the time nor the place to have one.

He answered without pause, "You fainted and I carried you out here." The look that suddenly crossed her face made him wish he could say something else but he knew not what.

"What, no comment about my weight? No laughing about how heavy I m, saying I need to lose a few pounds?" Something that was almost like bitterness or hurt seeped into her voice.

X did not understand this new mood or why she was so concerned about her weight right at this moment. It made absolutely no sense to him. He said the first thing that popped into his head to try and ease her thoughts, "Elle, you're not heavy. I think you're light as a child and that your weight is just perfect for you." He stopped when he noticed the glimmer of tears in her eyes. "Why are you crying?" He asked gently, in fear and worry that if she did burst into tears, she wouldn't be able to answer him.

It surprised her when he got up and sat on the edge of the bed to begin wiping her tears away with the pads of his thumbs. His hands were very gentle and strong and lean, just like the rest of him. It was so strange, how changed he was, how changed he had become over the weeks aboard ship toward her. 

"Why are you doing this?" Elle suddenly cried when she could no longer stand by and just stare into his large golden eyes; they were doing odd things to her thinking processes.

This conversation was making very little sense to him and was beginning to worry him. Elle never acted like this that he knew, and he had never seen her cry before. Was he to blame? "What am I doing to upset you?"

"You're… being nice. You've never been nice to me before all this happened."

"Would you rather me go back to being rotten?" The big warrior joked in an unusually low voice, causing it to gain a new huskiness.

"'M not sure. I don't know how to deal with you when you're like this and I just…" She averted her face from his view, "I don't know…"

Silence enclosed them in a cocoon for many minutes, neither able to meet the other's eyes.

End Ch 3

I apologize on how long it took this to come out and for the paltry length of this chapter. More will come, I assure you but I know not when. Please review this.


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